Special Relationship

29 October 2008

Ever since watching the 1960 documentary Primary about the Primary election between JFK and Hubert Humphrey I have thought about making an election documentary.

And this year seemed like the time to do it.

As an American living in London what interested me most was the amount of non-Americans I kept running into who were active and engaged in this presidential race.

When I began this blog a few weeks ago I really wanted it to be a place where Britons could come to find out what Americans on the ground were thinking and feeling, and where Americans could come to find out what motivates foreign nationals to come to our shores and volunteer campaign.

What I'm realising is this election means as many things to as many people I ask. On the ground the economy has overshadowed issues like the war in Iraq and abortion. But for people abroad I suspect foreign policy is still the biggest concern.

I'm interested in hearing from more Americans and more non-Americans so please send me an email if you'd like your opinions to be featured on the blog.

Also most non-Americans I meet support Barack Obama. Are there any out there who support McCain?

In the meantime here are two more websites I've come across which may shine more light on America's place in the world.

21 October 2008

Not until the election, of course, but until the beginning of the American road trip which will take me first to Pennsylvania and then onto Ohio and Chicago.

Mentally I am more than ready but there are various technical odds and ends to tie up in order to make sure I have all the right kit I'll need once there!

Although I am hoping to make a film which will to a certain degree be about this momentous election, I also hope to consider the depth and breadth of the links which exist between the United Kingdom and the United States. Before I left for London in 2005, a former boss who had studied for a postgraduate degree at Cambridge University had warned me that I shouldn't be fooled into thinking that sharing a language meant that the Brits and the Americans would always be saying the same thing. Despite his advice I was taken by surprise, and still am, when I uncover yet another subtle difference which differentiates our two cultures.

The 'special relationship' between the U.K. and the U.S. of which Winston Churchill spoke of at the end of the Second World War seems to have always been ambiguous and open to interpretation, yet it seems that since the Iraq War more attention has been called to what this special relationship exactly entails.

On a less political and more personal level, I've heard that many young Britons today feel more closely aligned to the United States than they do to Europe.

And so I'm curious as to how this link between our two countries is perceived and understood in the Mid-West, where Malcolm will arrive to campaign amongst other Obama volunteers in the swing state of Ohio. How will they respond to someone who's not a citizen taking such an active interest in this election?

In addition to documenting Malcolm's activities in Ohio, I'm also interested in creating a space where non-Americans can listen to Americans' own views about who they are supporting in this election and why.

So along the way I'll post audio and/or video files of both Americans and non-Americans speaking about the election, so why not subscribe to the blog so that you can be alerted when new content is posted?

Also, please send me your comments - either by posting them directly to the site or by sending an email. I'm especially keen to hear from you if you know people I should try to meet up with while in Harrisburg, PA and/or Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio! I've already been warned that there will be eyes on my grammar as well as the usual folks monitoring what they think is my occasional gratuitous use of the exclamation point.

MEET MALCOLM

This weekend I had a chance to speak at length to Malcolm, the British political activist I will be following around Ohio beginning on the 30th.

We met at his house in South London where I had the chance to eye up his bookshelf which had, among the typical political tomes, a fascinating collection of what I call Obama memorabilia. But this collection included more than your run-of-the mill badges (or 'buttons' as we call them in the States). Yes, it was at Malcolm's house this Sunday where I saw my first Obama action figure!

Malcolm was already in the States this election season for the Democratic National Convention in Denver where he blogged as part of his work - Malcolm's blog. He was also lucky enough to score a pass which allowed him entry into the 'Big Tent' to hear Obama's speech so you can understand better how and why he had accumulated such a mass of unofficial Obama merchandise. (Unofficial because non-citizens cannot buy official merchandise as it is illegal for them to make contributions to any American political campaign.)

Malcolm talked about his expectations for our road trip, what he hopes to do while there (lots of blogging, talking to people on the streets and perhaps holding 'honk if you support Obama' type signs on the roadside), and how American politics has a Hollywood Factor which adds an element of fun and helps make politics all around more engaging.

I filmed the interview with Malcolm and hope you'll be able to see and hear him via clips I post to this blog in the coming days. (Once again, a very good reason to subscribe!)

ABSENTEEISM

Did you know that there is an estimated 6 - 10 million Americans living abroad, which is more than the June 2008 estimated population of New Zealand? Of these, approximately 155,000 are living in the U.K., of which I am one.

Last week I received my absentee ballot in the post. I've included photos of the ballot click here as it strikes me as anachronistic, especially the handwritten bit!

I didn't realise until recently but American expats were not taken very seriously politically until the 1975 Overseas Citizens Absentee Ballot Act.

Even still, I am not so happy about this clause, which I've taken straight from the ballot envelope:

Ballot must be received by the close of the polls on election day, except that ballots contained in envelopes postmarked by a governmental postal service or a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the United States government, not later than the day before election, may be received until seven days after election and will be counted.

I now know why some of my friends have made special trips to the U.S. to cast an early vote versus dealing with this paperwork and the chances of it getting lost or arriving late. I may carry my ballot with me and post it from America just to be safe.